Issue(s): Secret Wars II #4
Published Date: Oct 85
Title: "Love is the answer!"
Credits:
Jim Shooter - Writer
Al Milgrom - Penciler
Stephen Leialoha & Josef Rubinstein - Inker
Bob Budianksy - Editor

Review/plot:
We descend further into the madness that is Secret Wars II. In this one, the Beyonder seeks love. He stars with Sharon Ing, "heiress, actress, jet-set socialite, internationally reknown beauty", and Victoria's Secret customer.

Ugh.

She kills herself after the Beyonder leaves her, but he returns and resurrects her. When she tells him she loves him "because of what you do for me... what you do to me! You bring me ecstasy like no one else could!" the Beyonder decides that's like a business deal so he leaves her again, but not before freaking her out by showing her that he could just as easily take a female form.

Ing is left heartbroken but at least she doesn't kill herself again.

Scanning all possible humans, he chooses Dazzler on the grounds that she's a mutant, "perhaps the most powerful ever to walk the planet". Most of the rest of the issue is spent wooing her.

He even drops in on Alpha Flight..

...rescuing Talisman from Shaman's pouch as payment for pulling an engagement ring out of it.

He also fakes an attack from the Avengers.

When none of that works he tries mentally forcing her to love him...

...but he doesn't like how that goes so he releases her.

Almost as an aside in this issue, while taking a little flight in his car, the Beyonder "quickly scanned the desires of every living creature on Earth" and found a few that don't fall into the "basic and predictable patterns". One is Algrim the Elf (previously referred to as Algrim the Strong), the Dark Elf that seemingly fell to his death fighting Thor during the Ancient Winters saga. The Beyonder restores Algrim and grants him "far more power than before". He'll soon be re-named Kurse, but not in this issue.

Beyond him, there's a few more people that interest the Beyonder.

The only good thing about this issue is the Beyonder's love of his Car Cuisinart.

Everything else was crap. Crap crap crap. Al Milgrom may not be the greatest penciler or writer, but he's written some decent stories. I wonder what he thought when he got this plot to draw? What did Bob Budianksy think when Shooter turned this garbage in? I guess you can't tell the boss how awful he is. Ugh. This series has been bad all along, but i think Shooter trying to write "romance" really killed it (same as Dazzler: The Movie?). Milgrom is no romance artist either. An absolute bomb.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Algrim the Strong becomes Kurse

Chronological Placement Considerations: Dazzler appears here between Dazzler #39-40, and this issue continues directly in Dazzler #40 for both Dazzler and the Beyonder. The official tie-ins for this issue are Dazzler #40, Alpha Flight #28, ROM #72, and Avengers #261. I actually have Avengers #261 occurring prior to this issue, however.

References:

• Algrim the Elf was previously seen in Thor #347-348 (incorrectly footnoted as #247-248). He seemingly died falling into a pit with Thor.
  
• Alpha Flight's battle with Omega Flight was in Alpha Flight #27. Another footnote says that Talisman was trapped in Shaman's medicine pouch in Alpha Flight #22, but that is incorrect; it also happened in issue #27.

Cross-over: Secret Wars II

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

There was one other clever thing in this issue. Note the Beyonder's wording about the Silver Surfer- "he believes that an impenetrable barrier holds him here". This is the first clue that Galactus's barrier doesn't work the way the Surfer thinks it does.

I wonder if Marvel was considering re-vamping the Silver Surfer series earlier than 1987? It's odd for the Surfer to appear here; he barely figures into the Secret Wars II story. But then again, neither does Ronald Reagan.

I suppose when i do get to the Surfer series, they'll explain why Dr. Doom was affected by Galactus' barrier back in FF #60 if it was only psychological as implied here?

It wasn't psychological. And yes, the explanation does explain why Doom was affected by Galactus's barrier.
But yes, this does raise questions as to why Marvel was hinting at the eventual explanation as to how the Surfer escapes Earth two years before the Surfer series was published. Englehart has said that Shooter originally refused to let the Surfer leave Earth when he was working on the Surfer series. But the Beyonder's line fits perfectly with the eventual explanation of the nature of Galactus's barrier. Maybe someone proposed a "Surfer in space" series a couple years earlier?

There was indeed supposed to be a Silver Surfer 12-part maxi-series drawn by John Buscema released about this time.

Sharon appears to have walked in from Howard Chaykin's "American Flagg!" .

OK, I've been doing some research. According to this website, the 12-issue limited series was originally supposed to take place on Earth:
http://marvel1980s.blogspot.com/2010/10/1987-silver-surfer.html
Then, a Graphic Novel written by Stan Lee was planned where the Surfer escaped the Earth. And the limited series was supposed to take place before he escaped the Earth. Then, the limited series became an ongoing series and it was decided the Surfer would escape in the first issue of the ongoing. The Graphic Novel was supposedly reworked into the Enslavers Graphic Novel, which might or might not be in continuity.

You've got a duplicated image here - instead of Dazzler being mind-controlled you re-used the picture of the Beyonder stalking her.

Fixed the image. Thanks.